This prospective study was designed to measure the costs and benefits of using a laser rather than electrocautery for soft tissue resection during arthroscopic shoulder decompression. Forty-nine shoulders with refractory Neer stage II impingement (persistent fibrosis and tendinitis) were divided into 2 groups. The composition of the 2 groups was similar with regard to sex, worker's compensation...

Current automated continuous-monitoring blood culture systems afford more rapid detection of bacteremia and fungemia than is possible with non-instrument-based manual methods. Use of these systems has not been studied objectively with respect to impact on patient outcomes, including hospital charges and length of hospitalization. We conducted a prospective, two-center study in which the time fr...

Understanding the changes in procedure use and total cost associated with the care of patients is important to the practice of neurosurgery. This information helps guide policies regarding workforce, training, continuing education, and research. Previous work detailing neurosurgical practice has been limited by focusing on specific procedures (e.g., craniotomy, carotid endarterectomy, etc.) or ...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to examine the interactions between alcohol, bicycle helmet use, experience level, riding environment, head and brain injury, insurance status, and hospital charges in a medium-sized city without an adult helmet law. METHODS A study of adult bicycle accident victims presenting to a regional trauma center over a 1-year period was undertaken. Data were collect...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS In children with ulcerative colitis, data on temporal colectomy trends and in-hospital post-colectomy complications are limited. Thus, we evaluated time trends in colectomy rates and post-colectomy complications in children with ulcerative colitis. METHODS We identified all children (≤18years) with a diagnosis code of ulcerative colitis (ICD-9: 556.X) and a procedure code ...

OBJECTIVE We sought to determine whether information on hospital charges (prices) would affect test-ordering and quality of patient care in a pediatric emergency department (ED). DESIGN Prospective, nonblind, controlled trial of price information. SETTING Urban, university-affiliated pediatric ED. METHODS We prospectively assessed patients 2 months to 10 years of age with a presenting tem...

In urban China, many non-clinically indicated cesarean sections (NCSs) are performed, resulting in an unnaturally high cesarean section (CS) rate. NCSs represent CSs without any specific medical indications. The demand for NCS may be due to women's preference for CS and their belief in its safety and comfortableness. In addition, CS is more profitable for the supply side than vaginal delivery, ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE With advances in neuroimaging, unruptured cerebral aneurysms are being diagnosed more frequently. Until 1995, surgical clipping of the aneurysm was the only treatment available. Since then, a less invasive endovascular technique has been found effective in a trial of ruptured aneurysms. No efficacy studies comparing the 2 procedures for unruptured aneurysms exist to guide...

We conducted a prospective comparison of blood culture contamination rates associated with dedicated phlebotomists and nonphlebotomy staff in the emergency department (ED) at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX. In addition, hospital charges and lengths of stay were determined for patients with negative, false-positive, and true-positive blood culture results. A total of 5,432 blood cultur...

BACKGROUND Achalasia is an idiopathic esophageal motility disorder characterized by dysphagia, regurgitation, chest discomfort and weight loss. The aim of this study was to evaluate the temporal trends in demographic variables, interventions, and inpatient burden in achalasia-related hospitalizations. METHODS We evaluated the National Inpatient Sample Database (NIS) for all patients in whom a...